Saturday Afternoon Recap: U.S. dominates four-balls

Team USA owns a 9-7 lead after Day Two of the 23rd PGA Cup, thanks to victories in three of the four Saturday afternoon four-ball matches. George Ryall and Duncan Muscroft won the final match to give GBI its only afternoon point.

By John Kim and T.J. Auclair, PGA.com

Afternoon Four-ball Matches:

Match 1: GBI's Paul Wesselingh and James Whatley v. USA's Butch Sheehan and Tim Thelen

Result: USA wins, 2-up

The Great Britain & Ireland team birdied the first two holes and seemed to have all the early momentum. But the United States pairing of Tim Thelen and Butch Sheehan, stormed back to take a 1-up lead by the turn and was able to hold on and win 2-up with a birdie on the final hole.

Though the GBI team was never able to recapture the lead on the back nine, they kept the contest close with a series of clutch birdie and par putts during the middle of the round. The U.S. pairing led by one hole when Butch Sheehan hit his approach on the 16th hole to two feet of the flag.

"It was a perfect yardage and perfect pin spot," explained Sheehan. "Everything just fit like it was supposed to, a nice soft fade that I knew was accessible to me. It just looked right and felt right."

Paul Wesselingh of the GBI team kept the suspense up with a nice birdie on the 17th hole, but the United States duo was able to win the 18th hole outright and capture the first point of the afternoon session for the U.S. squad.

"We won 1-up on this hole earlier and won 1-up this afternoon so 36 holes is a long day," said Thelen, the Director of Instruction at Traditions Golf Club at Texas A&M. "Butch played fabulous this afternoon and I played good. We both ham and egged it very, very well."

Sheehan added that it was a great feeling to contribute the point, but equally important was the entire experience of participating in the PGA Cup. "I've never taken part in anything like this before," he remarked. "This is such an honor and privilege. I'm having a great time."

Sheehan, the oldest player participating at the age of 57, seemed to only get stronger as the day went on.

"Age doesn't matter," said Thelen. "All that matters is heart and he's got plenty of it."

Match 2: GBI's John Dwyer and Danny Taylor v. USA's Mike Small and Alan Schulte

Result: USA wins, 2 & 1

Though the score didn't indicate it, the United States team of Mike Small and Alan Schulte had a dominant performance to earn the second point of the afternoon session for the U.S. squad.

Mike Small, the Head Coach of the men's golf team at the University of Illinois, played some of his best golf of the week as displayed laser-like precision early in the match and propelled the team to a 4-up lead by the eighth hole. After making birdies on holes 7 and 8, Small bemoaned missing a short birdie putt on hole No. 10.

"They got some momentum out of that," he stated, "and they started to play some fantastic golf. We did too, but just couldn't make a putt for awhile it seemed. But we kept hanging on and hanging on, and they kept coming at us, and then Alan made a great birdie on 17 to end it."

Small, who was the 2006 PGA Professional Player of the Year, has played in all four sessions for the American team.

"I hit the ball good today, I really did," Small stated. "I just didn't make all the putts I could have. I hit it in there tight, so I feel real good about my game."

Though, Small did concede, he is feeling some effects of two long days of golf.

"I'm exhausted. I hit a wall somewhere around hole 12 or 13, had a hard time seeing the line on a putt," he said. "I'm used to sitting behind a desk or working with guys on the practice tee, not playing 36 holes a day for two days in a row."

But with the United States team in a great position heading into the Sunday singles matches, Small knows that he needs to put one more strong round together.

"The last two PGA Cups, the GB&I squad have come at us with a whole new level of talent," he said. "We're going to have to play great tomorrow, all of us, to come out on top."

Match 3: GBI's Andrew Barnett and Craig Goodfellow v. USA's Chris Starkjohann and Chip Sullivan

Result: USA wins, 2 & 1

The American team of Chris Starkjohann and reigning PGA Professional National Champion Chip Sullivan never trailed in their afternoon four-ball match against GBI's Andrew Barnett and Craig Goodfellow. However, it was a scintillating match nonetheless.

Starkjohann and Sullivan had a 2-up edge after a birdie by Sullivan at No. 6. GBI fought back hard and by the 11th hole, the match was squared.

When Starkjohann made a birdie at the par-3 15th hole, the Americans went 1-up. Sullivan followed with a beautiful birdie from 15 feet on No. 16 that put the U.S. 2-up with two to play, assuring no worse than a half-point.

GBI didn't give up. Despite the fact that Barnett was all over the lot on the par-5 17th and found himself lying three in the front greenside bunker, Barnett gave the GBI supporters a reason to cheer as he holed the bunker shot for an improbable birdie that put the heat on the Americans.

Before the hole-out, Starkjohann had sent a shot from the sand eight feet past the hole, but managed to drain the birdie putt to seal the match for the Americans, which sent the U.S. fans into a loud roar.

"I didn't want to leave that bunker shot short -- that's a cardinal sin in match play -- and that's why it went past the hole," Starkjohann said. "I've been putting well with the downhillers and I think that's actually the first one I've made that was right-to-left, I had been making everything from left-to-right.

"Before I made that putt, Chip said, 'I want to be able to hug you, man,'" Starkjohann said. "I looked at him and I said, 'You're going to be able to hug me because we're not going to play 18.'"

"I'm ecstatic," Sullivan said. "This is a great feeling."

Match 4: GBI's Duncan Muscroft and George Ryall v. USA's Ron Philo Jr. and Lee Rinker

Result: GBI wins, 2 & 1

In a seesaw battle, GBI's Duncan Muscroft and George Ryall managed to sneak past Americans Ron Philo Jr. and Lee Rinker for a much needed full point -- the only point for GBI in the afternoon four-ball matches on Saturday -- in a 2 and 1 victory.

Philo and Rinker had the early advantage when Philo's par on the first hole of the match was good enough for a 1-up lead. However, when the match turned to the inward nine, Muscroft and Ryall had gained a 2-up advantage.

When Rinker parred the 14th hole, the Americans squared the match with four holes to play. But Ryall and Muscroft proved to be too strong, with birdies on holes 15, 16 and 17 to grab the all-important point to ensure GBI would trail by no more than two points going into Sunday's singles.

It was a dramatic ending as Muscroft hit his third shot from the greenside bunker 18 feet past the hole, but dropped the long birdie putt to end the match. Both Philo and Rinker had tap-ins for birdie, which didn't matter in the end.

"It was an easy putt," Muscroft said, tongue firmly in cheek. "I had George with me all afternoon, he's our rock and I didn?t feel any pressure. He just gave me the opportunity to show off a little bit. He just keeps hitting it close and every now and again he lets me knock one in."

Ryall had earned a point in the previous two matches he played and Saturday afternoon's win was his third.

"I think we've got a chance going into tomorrow," Ryall said. "The Americans are playing great, but I don't see any reason why we can't pull it off. It's going to be close. But I think if it comes down to the last game and the last putt, we've had a good week."